Player-piano construction.



A. G. GULBRANSEN.

PLAYER PIANO CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION men MAR. Is. 1918.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918 v fwenZZr ifzeZ G. GzaZbransen UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL G. GULBRANSEN, or oIIIOAe ILLINOIS, AssIGNOns r0 GULBBANSEN-DIGKINSON 00., or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PLAYER-PIANO CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24., 1918.

Application filed March 16, 1918. Serial No. 222,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Am. G. GULBnANsnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Player-Piano Constructions, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

My invention relates to player piano construction, and more particularly to the means for effecting a connection between the automatic player mechanism and the action of the piano.

In making connection between the pneumatics and the action of the piano, it has heretofore been found desirable to provide a projection on the sticker which may be engaged by n operating part of the pneumatic action. Such connections as heretofore provided have been attachments to the regular stickers of the piano action, fastened on usually by wood screws. Difficulty has been experienced in securing a sufliciently permanent connection between the stickers and the projections.

My invention aims to provide an improved form of sticker with a bracket for making connection with the pneumatics.

I form the sticker with a widened portion or portions with a socket r transverse recess in the widened portion for receiving the reduced end of a block. This block is shouldered to brace the same against the pressure of the pneumatics. The block is glued into the socket, forming virtually an integral part of the sticker. Avery substantial construction is thus secured at low cost.

In order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of practising my invention I shall now describe a specific embodiment in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of the pres ent specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view with parts broken away, showing my invention as applied to the stickers of a piano adapted for manual or automatic playing.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a sticker provided with the engaging means of my invention for engaging an intermediate pneumatic, and

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a sticker having engaging means for engaging an upper pneu. matic- I have shown in Fig. 1 the fram e 1- of a piano action, which supports by means of the action rail 2 the wippen 3. The wippen 3, perating through the jack 4, actuates'the striker mechanism in any" well-knownemanner The sticker 5 is pivoted at its upper end at 6 to the wippen 3 and is adapted toibe guided by a suitable tongue, not shown, as is well understood in the art. The; lower end of the sticker .5 is directly above the iapstan screw 7 which fastened upon ithe ey 8. y

As is well understood by those skilled in the art, the mechanism above described is duplicated for each note throughout the range of the piano;

The pneuniatics not shown being wider than the mechanism for each individual key are staggered and arranged in three tiers. To conform to this arrangement the stickers are constructed as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 with .means for making connections between the pneuinatics at different levels and the stickers of the piano action.

For the lowermost pneumatics the construction shown in full lines in Fig. 1 is employed. In this construction the sticker 5 is provided with wide portions 9 and 10, these wide portions being provided with recesses 11. The recesses are made of a depth suliicient to provide a secure hold for the reduced portion 12 of the block 13. The recesses 11 extend preferably slightly deeper than the widened portions and into the width of the sticker 5, no material weakening resulting from this construction because of the fact that the reduced portions 12 fit snugly in the recesses and are glued therein forming virtually integral parts of the sticker 5. The blocks 13 are provided with shoulders 14-. which rest against the outer face of the en larged portions 9 and 10, particularly at the upper side of these blocks, for bracing them against the thrust of the pneumatics.

A rod 15 having a capstan head 16 at its upper end projects through the block 13 and is provided at its lower end with a head 17, carrying a suitable engaging pad 18, which is adapted to be engaged by the movable board 20 of the pneumatics which actuates the particular striking mechanism. It is to be understood that the head 17 may be engaged by a lever actuated by the pneumatic instead of the pneumatic board itself. The rod 15 fits closely in the lower block 13 and is threaded in the upper block 13 so that the height of the engaging head 17 may be adjusted without taking the pneumatic action out of the case.

For the pneumatic on the second level the sticker construction shown in Fig. 2 is employed. This is in principle the same as that shown in Fig. 1, the difference being merely the shortening of the distance between the enlargement 9 and 10*, so as to hold the engaging head 17 at the proper height to be engaged by the operating part 21 of the pneumatic on the second level.

In Fig. 3 the arrangement for forming the connection between the upper pneumatic and the corresponding abstract is shown. In' this case only one enlargement 9 is provided and a single block 13" supports the adjusting rod 15".

The present invention Provides a connec tion between the pneumatic and the sticker which materially increases the leverage secured on the piano action by the pneumatics. Ample clearance is also provided, so that thereis no danger of the end of the pneumatic board or lever binding against the sticker side. Widening of the stickers to provide suitable sockets very materially increases the strength of the joints between the block 18 and the stickers 5 without weakening the stickers.

I do not intend to be limited to the precise details of construction shown and de' scribed.

I claim:

1. In a piano action, a sticker having a widened portion, a recess cut in said widened portion, a block having a reduced inner end. adapted to seat in said transverse recess, said block having a shoulder abutting the sticker adapted to brace the block against displacement in normal operation.

2. In a piano action a sticker having a widened portion, a recess cut 1n said widened.

portion, a block having a reduced inner end adapted to seat in said transverse recess, said block having a shoulder abutting the sticker adapted to brace the block against displacement by normal operation, and an adjustable rod passing through the block, said rod having means for adjustment relative to the blocks and a head adjacent the upper end of the sticker for effecting adjustment of the rod in the block.

a. In a player piano a plurality of stickers for operating the piano action, said stickers having each a widened portion adjacent the upper end of the stickers, with a recess cut in the widened portion, a block having a reduced portion in the recess and a shoulder engaging the upper side of the widened portion, and an adjust-able engaging member secured to the block.

l. In a player piano a plurality oi sticker; for operating the piano action, said stickers having each a widened portion adjacent the upper end of the stickers, with a recess cut in the widened portion, a block having a reduced portion in the recess and a shoulder engaging the upper side of the widened portion, and an adjustable engaging member sccured to the block, certain of said stickers having lower widened portions below said upper widened portions with recesses in said lower widened portions and blocks having re duced ends in said lower recesses, the engaging members of said latter stickers also engaging the lower blocks and terminating at a plurality of different levels.

5. In a piano action, a sticker for operat ing the striker mechanism, said sticker having a widened portion intermediate its ends, a recess cut in said widened portion, a wooden block having its inner end tightly fitting in the recess and being rigidly secured thereto to connect the block and the sticker securely together.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 12th day of March, A. D. 1918.

AXEL G. GULBRANSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0. 

